Battle against breast cancer a family affair
Glenys Sandilands was easy to spot.
She was the only person with a shaved head among women standing with people in animal costumes in Whangarei's city centre on Christmas Eve. But Glenys' close-clipped head wasn't alone for long.
Two of her daughters, physiotherapist Skye Renes and policewoman Courtney Kennedy, had their heads shaved before a big crowd in Rynoz Bar to support their mother's battle against breast cancer.
A colleague of Skye's from Fizeo Works, Rachel Bean, and Janet Watters from Ray White Allen Real Estate also had their locks lopped off to to help fundraising for Glenys and the NZ Breast Cancer Foundation.
And while the head shaving was happening, the animals - panda (Robyn Courtney), penguin (Tina Lyford), bunny (Anouska Hermansen), Bear (Scott Ford), big bad wolf (Jordan Priddle), mouse (Matthew Incognito), plus ITM Tim (John Kenworthy) and the Northland Rugby Union Taniwha (Brendon Gower) - hustled Christmas shoppers on Cameron St for donations for Glenys and the foundation.
Glenys had mammogram checks every two years, but it wasn't until she noticed a "fullness" under an arm three months ago she was told she had breast cancer with associated lymph node swelling.
With private medical treatment, she had surgery within 10 days and is undergoing chemotherapy, to be followed by radiotherapy later.
"Then I'll be cured," Glenys said, adding firmly, "I'm going to beat it."
Glenys' eldest daughter, Whangarei police Detective Storm Sandilands, was the first in her family to support her mother's battle against the disease.
Storm fought in the Spartan Night of the Champions charity boxing event at Whangarei in October.
